This episode was the very fitting midpoint of the twelve part series. And what an episode it was! I haven’t been quite this interested in Shigurui since the third episode.

It starts off with Iku tied up in a shack. Ushimata is there watching over her. It turns out that Kogan has become very aware of Iku and Irako’s love affair and betrayal. Her nipple was cut off as punishment, oh….and Ushimata eats it. Yeah, from the drool coming out of his face cuts, I’d say it was pretty tasty. He then states that it is time for Irako’s punishment to begin.

Outside it switches to where we left off. Ushimata is there now too. He says that Irako must test his skills against him before he can learn Nagereboshi. Things do not go as Irako predicts, Ushimata jams his wooden sword into his chest and when Irako is on his kness he seriously wounds him my stabbing his back. Thus the punishment begins.

It is Fujiki’s turn now, Irako is very disturbed by this as he is badly wounded. Kogan asks if he wants to stop. Irako, thinking that this is still a Nagareboshi training session, summons up his strength and faces Fujiki. An epic slow motion sword battle occurs. Irako and Fujiki seem equally matched; however, blood is about to drip into Fujiki’s eyes. Irako tries to use this as his advantage, but it does not work out.

Irako seems to go into a dream land where Kogan is crazy again (and eats a sake cup), he is the successor of the Dojo, Mie loves him, and his mother moves in with him. When he wakes up from such delusions Fujiki is punching the ever living shit out of him. And for once! It is not in slow motion! And it is b-e-a-u-ti-ful!

Irako passes out and is woken up by Iku stabbing him with a hot poker (this wasn’t her choice, of course) he rolls outside where the landscape is surrounded by blue fire and the moon is red. This time he must fight Kogan himself. Back at the dojo Mie is smiling. She is obviously happy about whatever she thinks is happening.

After Kogan states that he knows of Irako’s betrayal he…does Nagareboshi (I believe) and cut’s Irako’s eyes. There is some great insight after that where Irako screams in Iku’s arms. A monster was born that night. Apparently two monsters were born, which I assume would be Fujiki, whose due to lose an arm now anytime. What an awesome episode…

Alrighty, long time no see Shigurui~ Finally more episodes started appearing on Crunchyroll, and they are as mind-raping as usual.

The episode starts off with Irako and his barbaric ways. He’s fighting someone, and if the lower quality didn’t effect what I was watching, I believe he beheaded him. Definitely killed him. Other than that it is a fairly mundane day at the Kogan-ryuu dojo. At night, however, is when things really heat up. It turns out that Iku and Irako are having an affair.

A affair behind master Kogan’s back. Irako mentions that she would be his mother when he marries Mie, so he decides to not have anymore flings with Iku. Iku doesn’t much care for this idea. As much as I dislike Irako, I’d rather have him than a creepy old man.

Oh, I forgot to mention. Irako is not the son of a swordsman, but a dyed cloth merchant. The next scene shows him going to a woman’s house and brings her food. She’s gawd-awfully ugly. >_> I doubt she is a whore though. From the dialogue he says to her later, I wager she is Irako’s mother.

Now the thing that happens next confused me. Why? Because I can’t tell if the woman is Iku or Mie. It could be either one, actually. The whole scene is about some girl who’s pregnant and she’s had the child inside her for ten months. The women about town think it has died in the womb because it is the child of a demon. When she finally gives birth, she is alone and…ugh…Birth scenes have never been so graphic. The crazy thing is that the baby crawls up it’s mother and opens it’s eyes. Yeah.

Obviously that wasn’t real, but still. I don’t know if it was Mie or Iku. The scene switches to Iku with spiders crawling all over her naked body, symbolizing Kogan’s hands on her. Kogan stops and goes to his sword. He’s noticed that Fujiki has take good care of it. Then Iku comes over and he does his bean splitting technique on her.

Guess where? Yeah. Her nipple. I lulz’d. He then gathers all the student at the dojo. Fujiki goes to fetch Irako, Irako than arrogantly tells Fujiki to call him ‘Young Sensei.’ -_-

As they reach the top of the dojo, Kogan is dressed in full samurai gear. He states that he will now teach Irako the secret Nagereboshi technique. Irako is pleased. =/

The episode ends with the pine cones Irako put in a child’s snow man falling out and blood pouring from the holes. Foreshadowing? I think so. I smell a little betrayal coming from Kogan.

This episodes, for some reason, puts a lot of emphasis on lips. I have no sure idea why but I can hazard some guesses. Maybe it’s something to do with communication, the kiss being a binding thing (since this episode also deals heavily with lust and love), or maybe it’s just to show off Ushimata’s face after that sword-to-face wound healed. Feel free to provide input.

The episode begins with a little children’s song about Iku, who is master Kogan’s lover. I’m not sure what it means, but I got the impression that she’s killed all of her previous lovers.

Iku later meets up at the hot spring bath with Irako where they talk about Kogan. Of course they were seen by Ushimata and he…suspects the worst of Iku. You know. Women and their animal urges. -_-

Anyway it goes to a flashback when Master Kogan actually had decent skin. It turns out that he killed Iku’s previous lover, and she’s pretty distraught to find this out from Irako. As…you know…She’s been sleeping with his killer.

That night at the dojo of broken dreams, we return for the decision of who will get to sleep with Mie-chan and provide an heir. Irako it is, Fujiki stands up to, I suppose, object but you never see him attack. Mie attempts to leave but her father cuts her in the butt. >_>

As she is being held down by the men, Mie-chan realizes something that all girls realize at some point. The thing that my psychology teacher reminds us of almost every week. Men are pigs. Women are just a tool for birth.

Irako doesn’t tap that though. He declines. It doesn’t show what becomes of Mie, but later Fujiki is shown using a new technique to kill a man. Irako is then later shown with either a whore or Iku (same thing, righto?) whose tied up in some serious bondage.

It seems Irako has perfected Kogan’s bean splitting technique, as he preforms it on this whore’s nipple.

The two warriors have grown strong. (If anyone knows where I can find episodes 5-12, it’d be super if you could tell me.)

This episode, actually sort of scared me. Maybe not so much scared, as shocked. But either way I’ve lost most of the respect I’ve ever had for samurai between this episode and episode 4.

I didn’t mention this in the episode 2 review because I didn’t think it would be important, but apparently it’s a reoccurring thing. The the beginning and near the end of this episode there is a merchant girl who sings a childhood rhyme. It’s sort of like counting to ten, but what’s she’s singing are also words for vegetables. (Ichijiki = fig; Ichi = 1)

Well, yeah. Irako rapes her. First thing in the episode, rapes her. I thought she was dead, but I was relieved to see her singing at the end of the episode. Other than that, Irako’s become very skilled in the past year he’s been training at the Koganryuu dojo. It seems that he will be the heir to the Koganryuu style, not Fujiki. You can imagine, there’s a bit of bad blood about this.

At this time Master Kogan also becomes…Alive? Conscious? It’s stated that these few days that he is conscious that he decides the doings of the dojo. His first task though is to fondle his daughter Mie-chan, turns out she’s ready to bear an heir. But who will sow the seed?

Ushimata suggests Fujiki as he respects Mie-chan. However, it’s not about respect for women. Of course not. Silly Goose. It’s about who will provide the stronger heir. As punishment Ushimata gets a sword to the face.

Ugh, I could kick myself right now. I know it tells of twin swordsmen who are the strongest in Nissaka, but for the life of me I can’t remember WHY Fujiki and Irako are sent to kill them. Chances are it has something to do with them being the strongest.

There’s one point at which the twin brothers are in their rooms…doing…something? I think they were flogging themselves or something. As it zooms out and shows blood all over ther futons. All these samurai are turning out to be maniacs.

Either way, Fujiki and Irako corner them in the wilderness. Fujiki uses the one move he has to his advantage over Irako. The Flow style. Which leaves a small cut in the head and the blood just pours our in a…flowing style. Distracted by his brother’s wound, the other twin is later killed by Irako. As a battle trophy they take their faces. =/

This anime is so gory I should look away, but I can’t. Then again I can only find 4 episodes…

You know how I was saying there better be some epic sword battles in this? Well, this is another episode that disappoints in this area. I did, however, realize something. This is not some action packed shounen shit. This something…deeper. This isn’t some kill fest of a seinen, this has a plot. God knows what that plot is, since it’s been almost all flashback, but still. I can feel something good coming.

So, instead of fast-paced sword battles, you know what they did? They did that ‘pan across one scene when it’s frozen’ thing. So it looks like it’s moving slowly, but it’s not.

The episode starts with a flashback telling of the master samurai Kogan. Creator of the Koganryuu, which is the style Fujiki uses. It is said that the stance Kogan uses in Koganryuu, the Nagareboshi, is the best there is.

It then switches back to Irako standing of against Ushimata Gonzaemon, where episode 1 left off. Ushimata uses not a bokken but a large, wide wooden sword. Which I found sort of…well, interesting I guess. It seems like the type of weapon best fitting for a guy like him.

Ushimata completely whips Irako’s ass with his supreme (but not perfected) Koganryuu style. Then with as much honor as a cowardly dog, Irako asks to join the dojo. Ushimata finds this weak and cuts his face, telling him that the dojo is not a place to play.

The story switches to a little side story about Kogan’s only daughter, whom I assume is Mie-chan. Then to her preparing some really…disturbing looking beans for something. Irako is summoned from his room by Ushimata and they go to see Master Kogan about Irako’s admittance into the school.

Boy, does he get the surprise of his life! Even before they see Kogan, this whole thing seems off. The members of the dojo put blood on their foreheads and a sticky bean on Irako’s head. Then, it gets worse.

Kogan appears! Not in some awesome dramatic thing either. He reminds me very much of a zombie. Even moans like one. And waggles his tongue about like a sick old man. With ultra quick speed and mad skills he divides the bean on Irako’s head into four pieces in a blink of an eye.

Now, I’ve had high hopes about the Shigurui anime. Hearing it was obscenely gruesome, I managed to sniff out the manga before the anime was released and I absolutely loved it. It lived up to its reputation. As one would hope the anime would. I actually have a rule of thumb when it comes to anime. Anything made by Madhouse (Claymore, Devil May Cry, Death Note) is bound to be good. Maybe not great plot-wise, but at very least beautiful.

The story starts in 1629 at Sunpu Castle. A man, who is literally shaking with fear, pleads to the Daimyo of the Suruga province Tadanaga Tokugawa. I know what you’re thinking. Tadanaga Tokugawa? He’s not a memorable ruler at all. True, but he was a brutal one. Anyway, this man who is growing even more unstable by the moment (this Tadanaga must be fearsome) asks that he let the warriors use wooden bokken instead of real katana’s. When suddenly~ ninja’s attacked.

He reveals a rather sizable wound and commences to pull out the innards. Of course he is providing an example of what happens in a real katana match. Which is how any real man would present facts. Even more amazing is he continues to talk, however not for long. As anyone could guess, he dies.

Later that year as the samurai battle draws near, it seems that people are still ill at ease with Tadanaga’s decision to use real katana’s. Most referring to it as a ‘sad waste of skilled samurai’. So true, so true. But the lords’ orders are law.

I’d say it’s a bad omen.

Meanwhile, as the regional lords continue to enter the castle for the upcoming fight, the first samurai Fujiki Gennosuke prepares quietly with his lady friend. No, not in the much more interesting sexual way. Mie-dono is apparently some sort of fortune teller. Though, not a truthful one. As she tells him he will win even after her vision blatantly shows otherwise.

As Fujiki marches out into the arena under the blazing sun, the nobles are all utterly stunned to learn that he is missing an arm. Aww, and he had been so highly recommended. While they are all distracted, Fujiki’s opponent steps onto the field. (also with his lady friend Iku, mind you.) He is Irako Seigan, and guess what!? He not only has a badly injured foot, but is blind to boot. Personally, I think Irako is at more of a disadvantage. I mean really, it should be one handicap versus one handicap. Unless Irako is godly enough to make up the gap, now that would make this worth watching.

Of course, like every human being, the nobles are interested to see how this freak show will play out. After presenting their sword styles there is nothing but a whole lot of dramatic standing around. Meaning it’s flashback time.

It turns out Fujiki and Irako have a bit of a history together. Not only does this flashback provide the information that Irako challenged Fujiki to a duel at his dojo and broke two of his fingers, but it tells me that samurai are not as glamorous as we make them out to be.

I didn’t really like the episode that much. Yes, the characters were fun to look at. Yes, there was a sufficient amount of blood. However, there was really no action. Even in the sword fight flashback at the end there was really no action. Irako just butted swords with Fujiki and BAM broke his fingers after a bit of struggling. I’ll watch on, but so help me. There better be at least one epic sword battle in the coming episodes.